Naquag caught Olympic spirit in Feb.

Naquag Elementary School students file in for the school’s Olympic closing ceremony in February. Submitted photo
Earlier this year, Naquag students and staff celebrated the 2010 Winter Olympics, including opening and closing ceremonies.

The Opening Ceremony included each classroom representing a competing country as the students and staff proudly marched into the cafeteria to the Olympic fanfare marching music.

Grades 1, 2 and 3 presented poems: “Olympic Pride,” “Olympics” and “Hug of Wars,” respectively. Grade 4 offered facts about Inukshuk. Grade 5 gave facts about Olympic history, the Olympic rings, motto and oath. Each classroom was given a white helium balloon to release and represent peace to all nations and countries.

In the Closing Ceremony, students and staff marched proudly into the cafeteria, all wearing an Olympic medal. Presentations included the song “Dreams of Gold” (grade 1), the Olympic Oath and song “Dreams of Gold” (grade 2); an Olympic version of “This Land is Your Land” (grade 3); and a closing ceremony review and announcement of the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, Russia, by the kindergarten.

Fourth grade teachers Janet Segur, Scott Jaffe and Andrew Vickstrom coordinated a Olympic country medal graph with their students in the Naquag hallway to document gold, silver and bronze medals. Art teacher Joanne Quinn and students created five-foot Olympic Rings in the hallway, complete with students’ suggestions of ways to show good sportsmanship.